Help, 5 month old lunging at cars and pulling on walk. Advice please

[Whateverisaid21]

Hi. Looking for some advice please. Will try and give you an overview in general on behaviour.

I have a just over 5 month old female lab/border collie cross. Generally it’s going well. She’s been great getting into routines for sleep etc and feeds well. Training wise can be quick to learn new skills, sit/lie down/paw/stay and recall is good when off lead. She’ll sometimes take a few moments to come back if she’s running around with another dog but will come back and I try to allow as much off lead time when it’s safe for her ie not near roads.

For walks we have two main ones a lodge we go daily where she’s mostly on lead and two field areas near the water she’s off lead. Then another lodge where she’s mostly off lead.

The issues we are having:

Walking on pavements (school run) really pulls. Lunging at people and dogs (she does this anywhere when passing on lead) she wants some attention off anyone. If off lead will run over and sometimes has the sense to pause at dogs if she senses they are not friendly but my concern is she appears very giddy. Will sometimes jump at people for a stroke/attention.

Lunging and barking at cars. It’s a nightmare. I’m pulling her in with the lead tight, sometimes crouch down and tell her no. This works sometimes. If she has the lead loose she really lunges and I am sure she would be hit.

She’s not attended any kind of puppy class or training. Has stayed at a kennels and again was fine and she attends a puppy social meet up. Generally well behaved but she’s does run round like a lunatic there but is gentle with the dogs and just wants to run round. She can get submissive and lay down when meeting dogs so apart from the intimate excitement isn’t ‘intimidating’ if that makes sense.

She just seems to really want some attention off anything we meet but the car thing concerns me.

Any advice at all on this would be most welcome. Thanks

It might be worth booking some classes now.

How is she for being left? It might be better to leave her during the school run, so the problem behaviour doesn't get reinforced by being repeated.

Then use other walks (when you don't have to be somewhere at a specific time) to train, because every single time she starts to lunge, pull or whatever else she does that you do not want her to do, then you need to stop until she stops the unwanted behaviour. Perhaps even retracing your steps, so she learns that some behaviour leads to end of the walk. Lots of rewards when she's doing it right, 'grey rock' and/or back home when she doesn't.

We have a 5 month lab who does this. It’s sometimes linked to her really wanting to get home ie tired and walking faster can help stop her. Walking with her with traffic coming up from behind - she’s worse when facing traffic.

Lunging at people/dogs - we’re getting her to sit and look at us for the moment. Doesn’t always work. Puppy classes are helping with that though.

Stop the puppy meet up classes. It sounds like she has got meeting dogs sussed what she needs to work on is focus on you and disengagement from other people and dogs. If you do continue to go to the puppy meet up classes use them as a time to focus on you around other dogs rather than on the other dogs.

The lunging at cars is a very very common collie trait - the joys of cross breeds (smile) I would get in a 121 trainer who is familiar with this. It is very easy to solve but timing and gradual increments are the way to go.

The aim is to get a clicker and click when your dog hears, sees or reacts to a dog. Reward instantly whatever the dog is doing. We are not dealing with behaviours we are changing emotions (so you are not rewarding the lunging)

Over time and pretty quickly if your timing is good your dog will hear/see the car and turn to you for a treat. Then you can add in a cue and alternative behaviour you want when your dog sees cars.

There are other variables eg distance from the cars, etc but that is the brief general idea.

Thanks for these tips and thoughts really helpful.

She’s only been to two puppy classes once a month. That’s actually really helped her with other dogs, a sausage dog told her off last time!

I rarely do the school run with her but tried again today as thought maybe she needs more practice. I took her for a street walk in the dark last night to try and help and she was calmer but she had done a big walk earlier in the day running round the lake.

Think I’ll look at the stopping/sitting and puppy classes. As an aside she’s not fantastic with the ‘no command’ bless her. Not terrible but she was after some of my sons pizza and knew I was saying no so kept a distance but barked looking at the pizza and you could see her urges to want to go sniff or steal it!

So I think that obedience around no is something to really work on. She’s a great dog but just concerned about her hurting herself and being a little bit more easy to pass people and cars!

@PollyRoullson that’s really interesting about the clicker

Dont concentrate on NO. It is much easier for you and the dog if you think what behaviour you do want.

Eg when you son is eating his pizza. It is easier to teach your dog to lie on her bed or lie down than it is just to say no. The dog has a clear cue on what to do and if rewarded is going to do the behaiviour as a default behaviour. Son is eating dog lies down.

No doesnt really give the dog anything to do so is hard for them to learn.

Aww ok thank you. Feeling like a bad dog parent now as don’t want to confuse her! Will adapt and persevere to see how it goes. Thank you

Mine was a nightmare with that, with lunging I taught my dog a “look at me” command, so when we walked along and I said “look at me” he was given a treat. Hes now almost 18 months old and ignores dogs, people, cars etc on walkies as he knows my treat pocket is far more interesting.

I read the title and thought 'i bet its a collie'... id find a trainer that specialises in border collies as thats the genetics that are causing the lunging at cars and kids etc, your DG is herding.

Ive got a 6 month old collie and hes started chasing traffic, i agree with the clicker advice. He picked it up so quickly, when you start you need to do say 10 clicks and treat everytime to get her used to the click = reward. When our pup sees the clicker he sits down and looks at me as if to say well wheres my treat??.
When we are out i click and treat before the car is near and whilst it passes, it does work but if its a busy road he gets too hyper so i try to avoid heavy traffic at the minute.

I took her for a street walk in the dark last night to try and help and she was calmer but she had done a big walk earlier in the day running round the lake

OP I know some people will roll their eyes but at five months old that sounds like a lot of exercise for your puppy (and I speak as someone that has had a dog that developed hip dysplasia at nine months). Be very, very careful you are not overdoing it with her. The “five minutes per month of age” is if nothing a very useful guide. Especially as she is part Lab who are well know for hip problems.

I’d also say that if she is getting an appropriate amount of exercise and brain stimulation, then more exercise on top can have be negative. It can be tempting to when you are dealing with tricky puppy behaviour to just want to wear them out with more exercise, but don’t do it!

Hi @Daisydoesnt you make good points. I shouldn’t of worded it like I did as meant big walk but for her! The lake walk is about 35 mins but in the time we stop and have water and a rest on a field bit and she paddles a lot so the timing isn’t spot on. The street walk was around the block to see her reactions at night. Thanks for highlighting though it’s always worth a reminder.

I’ve bought a clicker last night so going to try that and see how I get on! Defiantly sounds like the border collie part of her 🙄